Roaring River – Missouri

This past weekend, the hubster and I drove to Cassville, Missouri to check in on our daughter’s new home construction.  They are about a week out from moving into their new home.  Needless to say, they are very excited about it.  Not far down the road from their house is Roaring River State Park and Fish Hatchery. I had never been there and we decided to go take a ‘look-see’.

3rd largest spring in Missouri - 20.4 millions gallons per day!

This is the sign just outside the spring entrance.  I really liked the spring because once we were in the shade, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees.  Ahhhh!  Very nice on a 90+ day.

Spring entrance. Yes, that is the real color of that water.

I couldn’t believe the color of the water.  Vivid turquoise blue.  And, a lot of BIG fish.

Beautiful Big Trout!

Fishing is not allowed in the spring area, but large fish are released from time to time into the Roaring River.  There were a lot a people lined up along the river that day.  We saw several people catching fish.

Looking straight up from the spring area.

There’s is a trail system that goes over the top of this ridge to a look-out point over the hatchery.  We didn’t go up there that day.

Lovely shade and cool water.

This is the view from the spring back towards the hatchery.  The spring water is very, VERY cold.

Spring Pool at Roaring River Hatchery

The glare on the water doesn’t show it very well, but there are some really big trout in this pool.

Here's a big one!

Hatchery

There are baby trout in each pool.  They vary in size/age according to what pool they are in.  The brood stock are kept in two round pools next to the building.

Baby Trout

I understand that it is the trout’s job to eat, sleep, eat, and make more baby trout.  It’s what they do.  But, as a mother – I just see this and I can just hear what they’d be saying – if only they could speak.

I’m glad I’m not a trout!

Y’all drop by Roaring River next time you’re in Missouri.  It is lovely and bring your fishing pole.

The Remedy

I know y’all think I’m joking when I talk about my husband’s fishing habit hobby, but my own mother sent me this joke because she knows I’m not joking.  Enjoy!

The Remedy

A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade, listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married.

She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow.

 The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze. The therapist turned to the husband and said, ‘This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?’

The husband thought for a moment and replied:

“Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays I fish.”

1981

1994

2009

Even during the winter.

This is a VERY small sampling of fishing photos. (yes, he takes photos of just the fish and only the fish too.)  I also read this joke to my husband.  He thought it was really funny. 

I rest my case.  Anyone know a good-looking therapist?

A vacation is suppose to be fun…right?

Scene: Yesterday. Hot summer afternoon. Me, sitting inside the house. Blinds closed. Ceiling fan on. Air conditioning running. I have a big glass of iced tea in my hand, and cold rag on my forehead. And, I’m still sweating. Like a Kentucky Derby race horse. Husband enters the room oblivious to how hot I am.

Tim:   So. When do you want to take a vacation?

Me: January!

Tim: Come on. Be serious. I have 3 weeks and 2 days to take and we need to take some time off soon or I’ll go crazy. (Notice the WE and the I in that sentence. He means him.)

Me: (clearly annoyed) Well Dude! I only have 5 days of vacation per year and I don’t want to be hot during my vacation because that would not be fun at all.  Nor do I enjoy bugs.

Pause.10 minutes goes by. He believes enough time has elapsed to approach me again.  Perhaps he thinks I might have had a mini stroke from the heat and have no recall of said conversation.

Tim: Kay (his sister) called and wanted to know if we wanted to go on the river trip next month.

Me: Wait. Back-up. Is this conversation about a ‘vacation’ or is this conversation about ‘a trip to the White River with your family’ (again)?

Tim: Both.

Me: Again. I am NOT using any of MY vacation days to do something that only YOU want to do. I do not fish. I do not want to be trapped in a cabin in remote nowhere with nothing to do while you fish.

Tim: Then how are we going to take a vacation together?

Me: I guess we won’t because I’m going somewhere I do not have to fish, cook, clean, do laundry or anything that resembles my everyday life. Because, if it does involve any of those things, it does not qualify as a vacation. Which, by the way, I haven’t had a real one since January of 2003 (skiing in Colorado vacation. Where I still had to cook and do laundry. But it was worth it. Because it was cold and I was skiing and it was F-U-N. Fun!). I need something new, fun, and relaxing to do, which qualifies as a vacation.

Tim: So. You’re saying you don’t want to go to the river?

Me:  (removing cold cloth from my head and firmly setting my tea on the table so I could stare him in the eyes.)  I’m saying I don’t want to go to the river for every stinking weekend, every vacation and holiday (which we’ve done for the past 5 years). I’m done. And, (said in jest and sarcastically) this is why I’m picking up a passport application at the post office today. In this heat, Canada is sounding really good right about now.

Tim: I bet there’s some great fishing in Canada.

Me: (Staring at him with mouth slack-jawed and eye bulging.)   I’m sooooooo about to go Clint Eastwood on you.

Y’all have a great weekend.